With the explosion in Internet access and usage, an increasing volume of business is occurring involving the purchase and receipt of digital products. Currently, a typical Internet user would have a browser installed in his local computer or server, such as Internet Explorer™ or Netscape™. Using this browser, the user would access an Internet service provider, such as America-On-Line (AOL™), via a modem over the local public switched telephone network (PSTN). Once logged onto the Internet server, the user may utilize one of the many search engines, such as Yahoo™ or Lycos™, to specify search terms. The user may also use a web crawler, spider or robot to attempt to find a product, service or information desired. The search engine or web crawler would then respond with a list of web sites which matched the search terms the user provided. The user would then log onto a web site and view products or services available for sale. If the user decides to buy an item from the web site, the firm operating the web site would frequently request that a credit card number be entered by the user in order to pay for the product or service. Once the credit card charge is approved, the operator of the web site will then typically ship the item to the user. In the case where the item ordered is digital in format, such as software, graphics, text, video, or music, the item ordered may be downloaded into the user's PC, server, lap top, palm computer or other processor-based system.
With the advent of cellular phones, with and without wireless access protocol (WAP), a user may also “surf” the Internet and order goods and services directly through the WAP-capable cellular phone or a processor-based system connected to the cellular phone in a similar manner as that used with a PC. Thus, a user may order goods and services from anywhere a cellular phone, satellite phone, or other type of mobile phone may operate. Therefore, a person could be sitting in the middle of a remote area, many miles away from another human being, let alone a telephone line, and order a video game from a web site on the other side of the planet and download it into his hand held computer connected to a cellular or a standalone WAP or HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) capable phone and play the game on the spot.
However, there is a significant drawback to the use of a cellular phone to transfer a large amount of data, and that is the amount of time it takes to transfer that data. It takes a very long time to transfer a large file of digital information using a cellular phone. This stems from the fact that the transfer rate for a cellular phone is relatively slow. Therefore, it would take a great deal of time to download a video, audio, text or software file using a cellular phone. This is generally not practical considering the high per minute cost of the calling plans most cellular users have. In some cases, the cellular charge for downloading a large digital file, such as a movie, would exceed the cost of the product itself. Thus, for all practical purposes, there exists no cost effective system or method for downloading a large digital product over a mobile device such as cellular phone.
A new communications device has been proposed using what is called a Bluetooth protocol architecture which allows for high transfer rates of digital data over relatively short distances. This architecture is described in a white paper by Riku Mettälä which is entitled “Bluetooth Protocol Architecture Version 1.0”, dated Aug. 25, 1999, copyright Nokia Mobile Phones 1999, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone includes both a cellular telephone and a low-power radio frequency (LPRF) receiver and transmitter. This Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may act as three phones in one. Using its LPRF transmitter and receiver along with a base station connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may function as a cordless telephone. Further, using its LPRF capability, the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may communicate directly to other Bluetooth protocol architecture telephones that are within range and may function as a “walkie-talkie” without incurring any charge. In addition, the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may operate as a cellular telephone.
The LPRF receiver and transmitter operates at a frequency band of 2.4 Ghz with an optimal range of within 10 meters to a maximum range of 100 meters. A gross data transfer rate of one million bits per second (Mbps) may be achieved using the LPRF capability of a Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone. Therefore, the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may achieve high data transfer rates but only at short distances. Thus, the ability to transfer data at high rates using the Bluetooth architecture telephone phone is limited to under 100 meters of a Bluetooth device. Further, when used in conjunction with a base station connected to a PSTN, a Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone is restricted by the speed of the modem connecting the base station to the PSTN. Thus, no effective system and method is known for a mobile communications device to quickly download a large amount of digital data in a cost-effective manner.
Therefore, what is needed are a system and a method whereby large quantities of digital data can be quickly and inexpensively transferred to a mobile communications device. This system and method should be user-friendly, thereby further adding to Internet sales and business activity. This system and method should also support a business model that encourages both consumers and suppliers to use the system and method through availability of enhanced low-cost services to the consumer and enhanced sales to the supplier and retailer.